Prairie North Regional Health Authority was before North Battleford's Planning Committee Monday with a major funding request.
CEO David Fan made the presentation to councillors on behalf of the Saskatchewan Hospital New Beginnings fundraising campaign, which is raising $8 million to pay for furniture and equipment in the new forensic psychiatric hospital and integrated correctional facility.
Fan's request was for the City, the Town of Battleford, and the RMs of North Battleford and Battle River to cost-share 50 per cent of that $8 million.
According to numbers based on a 20,000 population, that would amount to $200 per capita, according to Fan's presentation.
The suggestion put forward was that the $4 million request could be funded through a special SHNB levy over a number of years.
Right at the outset, Fan acknowledged it is a big thing to ask of council.
"I wasn't quite sure what reception I was going to get tonight, because I'm asking for a lot," he said at the start of his presentation.
He explained furniture and equipment are not part of the $407 million construction and maintenance cost covered by the Saskatchewan government. According to the funding methodology, all costs of furniture and equipment are funded 100 per cent locally.
It was noted furniture and equipment for the new Children's Hospital is being funded through the Children's Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan to the tune of $74.9 million. The Meadows nursing home in Swift Current is also raising $5.5 million through a fundraising campaign for furniture and equipment.
To justify the need for municipal dollars, Fan pointed to the significant number of jobs SHNB generates for the area and the new staff it would attract.
"Health care does create jobs," he said.
Fan had also spoken of the challenges of raising money through a fundraising campaign in tough economic times.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Fan faced several questions about the request, several of which focused on why municipal taxpayers needed to be on the hook to begin with.
Councillor Ryan Bater wanted to know why there needed to be a local component for what was a "provincial" hospital. Fan explained that under the funding formula used for these hospital builds, furniture and equipment is always 100 per cent local.
"That has never changed," said Fan. "That has always been the way Saskatchewan has been funding."
Councillor Kelli Hawtin asked if any of the furniture or equipment from the existing hospital could be repurposed and relocated to the new hospital. By and large the answer, said Fan, was no – as a lot of the equipment was simply too old.
Bater raised the spectre of what might happen if the $8 million wasn't raised in time for the grand opening in June 2018.
"If that day comes and the local portion isn't raised, what happens?" asked Bater.
"I haven't even contemplated that," said Fan, who went on to acknowledge the challenge of raising the hefty $8 million needed in such a short timeline.
"If the municipality said 'I'm sorry, no go,' then we're in deep trouble," said Fan.
Not holding back in venting frustration was Mayor Ian Hamilton.
Hamilton noted the request amounted to $3 million to North Battleford's tax base, which is in addition to all the other needs of the city. The mayor also couldn't believe there had not been a provincial foundation set up years earlier to raise funds to meet the need.
"Why don't we have a provincial foundation to fund provincial projects like this? Couldn't we work together with the Children's Hospital Foundation to raise monies on a provincial basis, because this is a huge ask," said Hamilton.
"I don't know how we take this to the taxpayer."
There was no immediate decision on the request. Fan indicated he had meetings scheduled with the two RMs and was also intending to schedule a meeting with the Town of Battleford.
